The line has been distinctly drawn for the First Hawaiian Bank Division I state football tournament.

In one bracket, there are Kealakehe, Wai'anae and Kahuku. The ones who run the ball.

In the other, there are 'Aiea, Punahou and Baldwin. The ones who air it out.

The air show portion begins at 6 p.m. tomorrow when O'ahu Interscholastic Association runner-up 'Aiea takes on Interscholastic League of Ho-nolulu champion Punahou in an opening-round game at Aloha Stadium.

The winner advances to next week's semifinals against another pass-happy team in Baldwin, led by quarterback Kalehua Moniz.

The No. 6 Na Ali'i (8-3) and No. 2 Buffanblu (9-2) each has been among the state's passing leaders all season. 'Aiea senior Kali Kuia, who started since he was a sophomore, has 2,463 yards passing and 21 touchdowns with nine interceptions in 302 attempts. Punahou junior Brett Kan, who also started as a sophomore, has 2,096 yards and 20 TDs to 12 interceptions in 313 attempts. The key to stopping each team is to minimize the damage each quarterback is capable of inflicting against the other's defense.

"He's a veteran player, been around the system a long time," Punahou coach Kale Ane said of Kuia. "Amosa (Amosa, 'Aiea's offensive coordinator) is a very offensive-minded coach and does creative things. He'll switch players, create mis-matches. He'll use Lofa (Li'ili'i, a receiver) all over the place to create mis-matches."

'Aiea coach Wendell Say likes Kan's poise.

"He knows exactly where he's looking and gets rid of that ball," Say said. "From what we saw, it's hard to get to him."

Kan took his lumps last year as a first-year starter. But he finished strong, displaying confidence of an experienced quarterback when he led the Buffanblu over Iolani, 25-22, on the day of the major flooding in Manoa last year.

"It's been a learning process," Ane said. "Now, he sees things quicker. We've been able to open the playbook more for him. He's getting in sync with his receivers, he's understanding how to read defenses. It's been a great progression."

Earlier in the season, junior wideout Miah Ostrowski was a frequent target. He leads the team with 74 catches for 955 yards and eight touchdowns. But with teams doubling Ostrowski or putting their strongest cornerbacks on him, that has opened opportunities for River Kim and Zac Yamagishi. Yamagishi broke free over the middle when the safety made a move toward Ostrowski in Monday's 14-0 win against Saint Louis. Yamagishi's 22-yard TD catch was the Buffanblu's first score of the game.

"We've been lucky to have River and Zac come up big," Ane said.

What makes the Punahou receivers dangerous is their YAC or yards after the catch.

"Their catch and run is great," Say said. "We have to have good tackling."

Kuia also has a talented corp of receivers, starting with the multi-dimensional Li'ili'i, who also returns kicks. He leads the team with 58 receptions for 1,044 yards and seven TDs. But like Kan, Kuia has other choices should Li'ili'i get doubled. Lahaina Olsen-Kuroda (34 for 361) and Josh Blakemore (33 for 585 and eight TDs) will get touches.

But Na Ali'i must protect Kuia, who was sacked nine times last week by Kahuku, which used a four-man front. Punahou uses three, but will stunt the linebackers to confuse the blockers. Buffanblu end Jonathan Overton had two sacks against Saint Louis on Monday and three against Pac-Five on Nov. 5. Ane said Overton can play on either side. He also plays tight end on occasion.

"Their front three, they're big and can move," Say said. "They'll stunt the linebackers and I even saw a safety come up one time. They like to mix it up. They're more physical than I thought they'd be. The last time we played them (in 2002), they were more a finesse team (on defense)."

Besides mixing pass rushes, the Buffanblu are adept at disguising their pass coverages, Say said.

"They run more complicated coverages than we usually see," Say said. "We see basic man and zone. The hard part is our kids cannot (always) pick it up. The key is (Kuia) has to see what they're giving us. You cannot just wait for the long ball. We have to take what they give us."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.